Chapter 454 – My Master Is Not Human – Ascending to Heaven Is Difficult (01)
[Points settlement complete. Reward for separating the male and female leads: 10,000 points. Side mission: Successfully survive, completion rate 100%, reward: 2,000 points. Since the next world will be the final world, all points will be converted into energy to provide the host with life-saving abilities. Please prepare yourself.]
With Qiu’er absent, the Little Announcer had taken over the responsibility of giving warnings and reminders. Its emotionless tone oddly carried a trace of concern.
“Host, are you alright?”
Xiao Bobao assumed Bai Tang’s dazed silence meant he still had not recovered from the previous world.
In the previous world, Bai Tang had been brought back to the present timeline by Wen Junnan. Being human was exhausting—there was socializing, maintaining relationships, and dealing with people. Bai Tang felt that in this lifetime, he only wanted to be a little squirrel.
After Li Tefeng unexpectedly got himself a girlfriend, Wen Junnan also began his journey of raising a pet. The little squirrel was adorable, but no one dared provoke it. Aside from Wen Junnan, no one else could even dream of touching a single strand of squirrel fur. After graduation, everyone only knew that Wen Junnan had gotten into a relationship—with a very beautiful young man.
Several decades later, the little squirrel peacefully passed away from old age. Almost at the same moment the little squirrel stopped breathing, Wen Junnan’s soul separated from that world.
The remnant shadow that Bai Tang had summoned from another world took over the alternate space and brought the other remnants there as well, breaking the limits that had once confined their movements. Wen Junnan placed a spiritual restriction on him: if he ever harmed human lives, his existence as a remnant would come to an end.
Inside the Main System Space.
Xiao Bobao asked with concern, “Host, are you alright? Would you like to watch a movie and relax?”
Xiao Bobao still did not understand human emotions very well and could only imitate the way Qiu’er used to comfort Bai Tang.
“I’m fine. What do you mean by the final world?” Bai Tang only cared about two things right now. First, after the final world, would he never be able to see A’Nan again? Second, if he stopped doing missions and lost his source of energy, what would happen to Qiu’er and Xiao A?
Xiao Bobao let out a surprised sound.
“Huh? Host, you didn’t know? Traveling through worlds and completing missions can earn points to exchange for abilities, but the main purpose has always been to train you. Once your physique and soul become strong enough, you’re supposed to return to the Upper Realm.”
“According to our scans, your soul has already met the requirements. After completing the next world, you’ll be able to go back.”
“The next world has abundant energy. Both systems will complete their restoration after that world.”
The calm mechanical female voice carried no emotional fluctuations, yet with only a few simple sentences, it shattered Bai Tang’s beautiful hopes.
“Is… is this the last time I’ll see A’Nan…?”
The young man’s soft, gentle voice was barely above a whisper. It drifted through the air before fading away.
Bai Tang lifted his head. For the first time ever, he did not cry.
His heart hurt.
Back in the first world, Qiu’er had warned him not to fall in love with the male lead because the male lead could never stay with him forever. But he had not believed it. Greedy for temporary happiness, that “temporary” period had stretched across dozens of worlds.
If he did not enter the next world, then his story with the male lead would never truly end—but Qiu’er and Xiao A would have no energy to recover.
If he went to the next world, then that meeting with the male lead would become their last.
The young man remained silent for a long time. Then he turned his head toward the two little dogs sleeping peacefully inside the transparent energy bottle floating nearby.
Softly, he said,
“Give me the world plot.”
After spending many years in the human world, Bai Tang had not learned schemes, calculation, hidden depths, or profound knowledge. But he had learned one thing—how to face reality. Some things could not be escaped, and A’Nan would not like a version of him that ran away.
Xiao Bobao took over Qiu’er’s responsibilities and pulled out the world book that had been buried at the very bottom of the archive.
After seeing countless flashy and colorful covers, this book stood out with an unexpectedly elegant and otherworldly appearance. Towering mountains surrounded by ethereal immortal mist filled the cover. A compassionate cultivator stood atop the mountain, while a young man struggled to climb upward from the foot of the mountain.
With just one glance, Bai Tang recognized that the young man at the foot of the mountain was the protagonist of this story.
According to Xiao Bobao, the final world was the world closest to the Upper Realm—a world of cultivation, where one could ascend and become an immortal. The Upper Realm existed above the three thousand minor worlds. Although it was called the Upper Realm, it actually consisted of six realms. Since Bai Tang was originally a little squirrel, if he returned to the Upper Realm, he would probably end up in the Demon Realm.
At least, that was Xiao Bobao’s guess as it let its thoughts wander.
Whil eXiao Bobao was lost in thought, Bai Tang had already finished reading the plot.
The male lead, Pei Boyi, was the young master of a prestigious family. From the moment he was born, the Pei family had placed high expectations on him. However, when he was tested for spiritual roots at the age of five, he disappointed everyone.
The crystal test orb became clouded and murky, revealing that he possessed mixed spiritual roots—a chaotic and inferior talent.
Without hesitation, Pei Boyi was abandoned by his family, who instead chose to nurture children with greater potential.
Since ancient times, there had been a saying: a mother gains status through her son, and a son gains status through his mother. Pei Boyi’s mixed spiritual roots brought shame upon Madam Pei and caused her to lose favor with the head of the Pei family. As a result, Madam Pei came to deeply resent Pei Boyi.
Thus, amidst the hatred and indifference of those around him, Pei Boyi stumbled his way through life until he reached the age of ten.
Every five years, the major cultivation sects opened their mountain gates to recruit disciples. Wealthy and influential families would also send their talented children there, hoping they would succeed in their studies and later protect their families.
Pei Boyi was one of the forgotten ones.
But he refused to remain beneath others forever. Secretly, he ran away from home and climbed the mountain. Relying on his determination and ruthless perseverance, he caught the attention of the Sword Cultivation Peak Master and was accepted as her disciple.
The Sword Cultivation Peak Master, Wen Leng, was an exceptionally beautiful female cultivator. She was cold as frost and showed no mercy toward anyone who provoked her, earning her the title Frost Immortal Maiden. She was also the female lead of this world.
Life under her was neither particularly good nor bad. Wen Leng disliked managing people and allowed her disciples to grow through ruthless competition. Only the victor among wolves could catch her eye.
Pei Boyi was the one who endured humiliation and hardship, eventually standing out among the many cultivators and gaining Wen Leng’s attention.
Later, during expeditions into secret realms and battles against demonic cultivators, Pei Boyi achieved repeated victories and gained widespread fame. Wen Leng, who admired strength, began to see him in a different light. Fighting side by side deepened their understanding of one another, and in the end, they became cultivation partners and ascended together.
As for this world’s male supporting character, it was Bai Tang, the Peak Master of Medicine Cultivation.
When Pei Boyi had been down on his luck, Bai Tang looked down on him. But after Pei Boyi joined Sword Cultivation Peak, achieved success, and became famous, Bai Tang immediately fell for his handsome appearance at first sight. He constantly tried to get closer to him, hoping to become Pei Boyi’s cultivation partner.
Pei Boyi held grudges. He not only remembered how harshly his family had treated him in the past, but he also remembered the humiliation Bai Tang had once inflicted upon him. At first, he simply ignored Bai Tang, but in the end, Bai Tang actually made a move against Wen Leng.
Pei Boyi could no longer tolerate it.
He found an opportunity to scheme against Bai Tang, causing all the disciples to see him in a disheveled state with his clothes in disorder. His immortal-like elegance instantly became a laughingstock. Pei Boyi then openly declared that Bai Tang was indulging in wishful thinking and was unworthy of being compared to Wen Leng.
As the dignified Peak Master of Medicine Cultivation, Bai Tang lost all face. Mocked and ridiculed by others, his self-esteem suffered a crushing blow. He grew to hate Wen Leng even more, eventually allowing his inner demons to consume him. He fell into demonic cultivation, swearing to surpass Wen Leng at any cost.
In the end, he died beneath Pei Boyi’s sword.
To sum it up, the male supporting character had only himself to blame. Although he had humiliated the male lead, Pei Boyi had initially never intended to take revenge out of consideration for Wen Leng. However, even after being rejected, Bai Tang refused to give up and even attempted to harm Wen Leng. Only then did Pei Boyi strike back.
After reading the original plot, Bai Tang had more or less figured out the female lead’s personality. She was a cold beauty—so long as no one provoked her, she rarely interfered in other people’s affairs.
“Pei Boyi held grudges. He not only remembered how harshly his family had treated him in the past, but he also remembered the humiliation Bai Tang had once inflicted upon him. At first, he simply ignored Bai Tang, but in the end, Bai Tang actually made a move against Wen Leng.
Pei Boyi could no longer tolerate it.
He found an opportunity to scheme against Bai Tang, causing all the disciples to see him in a disheveled state with his clothes in disorder. His immortal-like elegance instantly became a laughingstock. Pei Boyi then openly declared that Bai Tang was indulging in wishful thinking and was unworthy of being compared to Wen Leng.
As the dignified Peak Master of Medicine Cultivation, Bai Tang lost all face. Mocked and ridiculed by others, his self-esteem suffered a crushing blow. He grew to hate Wen Leng even more, eventually allowing his inner demons to consume him. He fell into demonic cultivation, swearing to surpass Wen Leng at any cost.
In the end, he died beneath Pei Boyi’s sword.
To sum it up, the male supporting character had only himself to blame. Although he had humiliated the male lead, Pei Boyi had initially never intended to take revenge out of consideration for Wen Leng. However, even after being rejected, Bai Tang refused to give up and even attempted to harm Wen Leng. Only then did Pei Boyi strike back.
After reading the original plot, Bai Tang had more or less figured out the female lead’s personality. She was a cold beauty—so long as no one provoked her, she rarely interfered in other people’s affairs.
“Xiao Bobao, I’m leaving. Take good care of the place.”
“Host, be careful with everything. Call me if anything happens.”
Amid Xiao Bobaor’s reminders, Bai Tang walked alone into the teleportation array.
After a dizzying whirl of motion, Bai Tang woke up inside a small wooden house.
The Peak Master of Medicine Peak was known as Daoist He Yi. Originally cultivating from a demon form into a human one, he had been accepted as a disciple by the previous sect master. He was solitary by nature and disliked interacting with others. For many years, he had kept his mountain closed and refused to take in disciples, tending only to the spiritual herbs and medicines within his own small domain.
However, all the medicinal herbs and spirit medicines needed by injured people came from Medicine Peak, making him someone no one dared offend. Cultivators frequently went out to slay demons or compete against others, and injuries were commonplace. Without medicinal herbs, minor wounds might be manageable, but more serious injuries could cost lives.
Because of this, Bai Tang was one of the only two people in the Le’an Immortal Sect whom no one dared offend. Naturally, the first was the Frost Immortal Maiden, Wen Leng.
Bai Tang had arrived at the perfect time. That afternoon was the Le’an Immortal Sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony.
At the foot of the mountain, children with spiritual roots from powerful families across various regions had already gathered. Once the mountain gates opened, anyone who successfully climbed the Stairway to the Clouds would earn the qualification to enter the Le’an Immortal Sect.
Within the conjured water mirror, a ragged young boy appeared.
He was small and thin, his face smudged with dirt and grime, but his sharp eyes held a steadiness far beyond that of ordinary children. At a glance, he resembled a cold, bottomless pool—no one could tell how deep it truly was.
Bai Tang recognized him instantly.
That person was his husband.
Seeing his husband suddenly become a child in this world felt unexpectedly novel to Bai Tang.
In this lifetime… would it finally be his turn to kiss him, hug him, and lift him up high?!
At the foot of the mountain, there was no shortage of children from wealthy and influential families. Someone as shabby-looking as Pei Boyi was extremely rare. Yet Pei Boyi himself stood right in the center of the crowd without showing the slightest trace of fear. Nor did he flatter or curry favor with those around him, as if nothing and no one could catch his interest.
His aloof and detached demeanor displeased some of the children who had been spoiled by their families.
A young master dressed in luxurious moon-white robes walked up to Pei Boyi with an arrogant expression and said haughtily, “Where did this little beggar come from? You actually dare dream of joining an immortal sect?”
Pei Boyi merely glanced at him indifferently before expressionlessly turning his head back toward the Stairway to the Clouds.
Or rather, toward Misty Peak above it.
His Tang Tang was up there.
Seeing the young master suffer such a snub from a little beggar, the people around them quietly laughed.
When had the young master ever been mocked like this? He had never learned what it meant to take a step back or endure humiliation. Grabbing Pei Boyi by the clothes, he raised his hand to hit him.
A little beggar dared ignore him? Was he even worthy?!
The young master gathered all his strength and threw a punch. The girls in the crowd could not bear to watch and covered their eyes, expecting a miserable scene.
Yet they did not hear the little beggar crying out or begging for mercy.
When they opened their eyes, they saw that Pei Boyi had effortlessly caught the young master’s fist.
The young master’s face had turned bright red.
But only he himself knew that his face was not red from anger—it was from pain.
Who knew what this little beggar had grown up eating? His strength was absurdly great. The young master felt as though his fingers were about to be crushed by the other’s grip.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of a gong echoed through the air several times.
The entire crowd instantly fell silent.
Pei Boyi released his hand and looked ahead with a serious expression. Several people descended from beneath the mist-shrouded immortal peak. After saying a few ceremonial words, they announced that the Stairway to the Clouds trial could now begin.